A Single Putting Routine That Can Repeat Over & Over Again

Perhaps the hardest part of this entire process is the task of bringing together a variety of ideas into a single routine that you can repeat over and over again. Fitting the pieces together is not as easy as it might seem, but we may be able to help. Our advice on how to round your pre-putt routine and techniques into form is offered below.

Keep it brief. You don’t want to let this routine drag on, for a variety of reasons. First, of course, is the pace of play that you need to maintain on the course. You don’t need to rush through your rounds – golf is a slow game, after all – but you do want to keep the pace moving for those around you. One way to test the length of your routine is to ask the other players in your usual group for their opinion. Do they think you are taking too long to hit your putts, or are they fine with your routine? As long as they are willing to be honest, this feedback should help you trim down your process to an appropriate length.

Finish next to the ball. No matter what your routine looks like, it should finish with you standing next to the ball, ready to putt. Basically, you want the pre-putt routine to bridge the gap in time between when you finish your read and when you actually make the putting stroke that is going to send the ball on its way. So, design your routine in such a way that you wind up next to the ball, ready to go.

Easy to remember. The last thing you want to do is create such a complicated routine that you struggle to remember how it all fits together each time. There is enough to think about on the golf course as it is, you don’t need to make the game more complicated by adding in the challenging of keeping your routine straight. The process you build should be simple and easy to manage throughout each of your rounds.

Don’t take up too much space. This is an important point which relates to the physical structure of your pre-putt routine. Let’s imagine for a moment that you build a plan which has to walk up to your ball from several feet to the side of the putt. That type of approach might feel good to you for one reason or another, but it may not always be practical. For instance, if another golfer’s ball is resting in that area, you would have to walk over their line just to complete your routine. Or, if another player is standing over there – which would not be all that unusual – you’d need to ask them to move. Try to keep the physical space required by your routine to a minimum so you avoid awkward situations. Walking up from behind your ball is common practice as there shouldn’t be any other golfers or golf balls in this area when it is your turn to putt.

To be honest, it may take a bit of time to settle on a routine that makes you comfortable. The best thing you can do is to practice potential routines while on the practice putting green at your local golf course. Once you have spent a bit of time experimenting, you should be able to decide on a routine that you will put to the test in an upcoming round.